My sincere thanks are due to Mrs. Head, Mrs. Whitmore, Madame Nossof, Mrs. Wadmore, Mrs. Lea Carson (of Philadelphia), Mrs. Whetridge, Mr. Francis Wellesley, Mr. H. Palmer, Mr. Desmond Coke, Mr. Holworthy, Captain Pringle, Mr. H. Terrell (of Boston), Mr. Laurence Park, Dr. Beetham (descendant of Mrs. Beetham, the fine eighteenth-century silhouettist), Mr. J. A. Field, for the interesting series of portraits painted by his great-grandfather, and many others, who, possessing silhouettes, have allowed me to visit and make a study of their collections or have sent specimens for examination. Without their courtesy, and that of many others who gave me facilities for studying some thousands of specimens and advertisements, it would have been impossible to write this book. A subject on which there exists no written history, and which has hitherto received scant attention, requires much research amongst a large number of examples, amongst old newspaper matter, contemporary social history, and the trade labels of the silhouettists, for its faithful record. More especially I am grateful to those who have kindly permitted me to reproduce their silhouettes, thus making clear to art lovers, and those who take pleasure in the curio, how manifold are the charms of family treasure, which would not otherwise have been available for study. To Herr Julius Leisching, Director Erzerzog Rainer Museum, I am indebted for information concerning silhouettists of Germany and Austria contained in his memorandums of the Industrial Museum; to Sir Sidney Colvin, Keeper of the Prints in the British Museum; to Mr. C. J. Holmes, Director of the National Portrait Gallery; to Mr. T. Corsan Morton, of the National Galleries of Scotland; to Mr. D. E. Roberts, of the Library of Congress, Washington, for access to special collections; to Mr. Horace Cox and Mr. T. P. O’Connor, with regard to pictures under their control in the “Collector” and the Magazine; to Lady Dorothy Nevill, for placing at my disposal the beautiful silhouette work of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of George III.; to Lady Sackville, for allowing me to study the silhouettes of Knole, and to reproduce some of the silhouette porcelain in her possession.